


Trusted

by 1Zukoneedsafamily2



Series: 2020 Birthdays! [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Ouch, Sokka and Zuko are low-key pining. It's not really addressed at all., Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24636733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Zukoneedsafamily2/pseuds/1Zukoneedsafamily2
Summary: Zuko has a bad time in boiling rock
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: 2020 Birthdays! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822996
Comments: 21
Kudos: 567





	Trusted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Flameo_Hotman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flameo_Hotman/gifts).



Zuko had been dunked in water before getting thrown into the cooler. They also took his shoes. Zuko never thought he could feel so cold.

He didn't know why he had thought it was a good idea to go with the prisoners. He should have stayed with Sokka and Suki.

He was shocked out of his thoughts when he felt his feet starting to stick to the floor. He quickly tried to breathe hot air onto his feet trying to unfreeze his feet from the metal floor.

The water had frozen his feet to the floor. 

His attempts to thaw the water were ineffective. He could feel his clothes getting stiffer and he couldn’t tell if they were stuck to his skin or not.

He was shivering hard by the time they pulled him out. He felt the skin on his feet rip off.

They threw him into an empty cell. He sat there sweating. God the heat was almost unbearable.

He felt his clothes starting to melt and he felt chilled all over again. He closed his eyes and didn’t see or hear the two men enter the cell.

When he had been tossed back into the cooler. The coldness helped numb the pain he felt from all bruises.his stomach was starting to ache from how hard his inner flame was working to keep him warm.

He leaned back against the back of the cooler forgetting he had no shirt anymore. He hissed and scooched forward to get away from the wall. Thankfully he had been quick about it.

His breath of fire wasn't working. He couldn't produce it at all. He could barely feel his inner flame. 

He tried to stand up but he felt so dizzy he ended up falling against the side of the cooler and sliding down the wall. His breathing was too shallow. He stayed like that even though it hurt. He couldn't bring himself to move.

Zuko was dragged out of the cooler some odd hours, days, later. He had cried out when they had to rip him free of the wall.

They had interrogated him again. He gave them nothing.

Zuko didn't understand why he felt so light. The guards picked him up easier now. Sitting up made him dizzy so he gave in and laid on the floor of the cooler. He curled up and tried to conserve heat. He felt his skin starting to freeze to the floor but he was too weak to sit up. So he laid there his blood and the water freezing his skin to the floor. 

He sighed softly as everything started to feel warm and go a little numb at the edges. He wasn't shivering anymore and his eyelids felt too heavy for even the lazy squint he'd had. His eyes slid shut and he missed the guards coming in and peeling him off the floor. 

When he woke he wanted to scream, it hurt so much where his skin had been ripped free from the cooler.

A guard noticed that he was awake and sauntered over. The guard sneered, "You ready to tell us who else was involved in this? We know you had to have a guard so who was it?"

Zuko groaned softly. "I don't know who it was. He had dark hair and tan skin. I never got a good look at his eyes."

The guard nodded and patted Zuko's cheek. "Good Boy."

* * *

Zuko was dragged in front of a lineup of guards later that day. His head lolled forward until someone yanked it up by the hair. He quickly started scanning the guards and found Sokka.

He pointed out a guy as far away from Sokka as he could. "That one three people in."

They yanked the guy out of the lineup and Zuko was dragged back to his cell.

* * *

Sokka entered Zuko’s cell and Zuko was laying down in his bunk. When Sokka came in Zuko sat up wincing slightly. The light from the hall fell across Zuko, revealing how much he had wasted away in a week and a half. 

"Zuko…" Sokka's voice failed him

Sokka looked horrified and tried to approach Zuko but Zuko just backed further into the corner.

"What did they do to you?" his voice was more hoarse than he expected it to be.

Zuko gently touched his bandaged side. "They beat me up a little and put me in the cooler for a bit. Im fine." Zuko wouldn't meet his eyes. He just stared at the floor space between them.

Sokka stood there for a few moments longer before he left. He couldn't stay there looking at Zuko looking like that. Sokka went back to the guardroom. 

Sokka sat at one of the tables and Ming sat next to him. "You saw The Prince? What they did to him?"

"Yeah… I saw." Sokka's face was somber and his eyes held unshed tears. He rubbed at his eyes quickly to hide the fact.

"How bad was it really? I couldn't get a good look at him." Her tone was soft and worried.

"I couldn't get a good look either. He was wearing a shirt and bandages when I saw him last. His scar was overlapped with a new one though." Sokka's quiet anguish spoke volumes.

Ming fell silent next to him. Sokka went to go do his rounds. 

* * *

He waited until after lights out to creep into the infirmary. He rummaged around in the cabinet until he found some healing cream and fresh bandages.

Sokka creeped out of the infirmary and into Zuko's cell. He quietly closed the door behind him. Zuko was already sitting up and staring at him. 

Sokka smiled awkwardly "Hey buddy. I brought fresh bandages and cream."

Zuko just nodded slightly. He took his shirt off without prompting. Sokka sat on the edge of his bed and started to unwrap the bandages revealing inch after inch of Zuko's injured side. Zuko flinched every time Sokka's hand touched his arm. Sokka finally got all the bandages off. He grabbed the cream and just barely touched his hand to Zuko's injured side when Zuko flinched and tried to scooch away from him. Zuko backed into the corner and Sokka felt a pickaxe going to town on his heart.

Sokka touched his shoulder. "Zuko it's okay… I won't hurt you." Zuko relaxed into his touch a little and let Sokka gently apply the cream to his side. Zuko hissed slightly and grimaced. 

Sokka finished applying the cream and started to wrap his chest in bandages. He tucked the extra bandages and the cream under Zuko's pillow. 

Zuko laid down and rolled over. Sokka knew he'd be back here tomorrow to give Zuko food. He was barely holding up as is. Sokka turned and left the cell.

* * *

Hakoda watched the pale skin-and-bones Fire nation prisoner go through the lunch line. Then he started to make his way over to their table. The boy sat down across from Hakoda and didn't meet his eyes. 

Sokka tapped his shoulder. "That's the other guy in on the plan. That’s prince Zuko."

Hakoda tried to resist letting his jaw drop open. This boy was barely sitting up much less ready to escape a prison. The boy had a fresh scar that slightly overlapped with his burn and his cheeks were sunken. He looked like a skeleton. But those eyes.

They held a fire that can't be doused.

Hakoda grinned and nodded. "Well Zuko, I'm Hakoda. I know you've spent the last week recovering. But we need to escape this week."

Zuko nods in understanding. "Can't wait around forever. Better sooner than later." 

Hakoda grins and makes sure everyone was in a close enough range to hear him going over the plan one last time.

* * *

Hakoda was glad the plan went off without a hitch, for the most part. Zuko had gotten stabbed by the knife girl. He watched as Suki bandaged up Zuko's side.

Hakoda watched Zuko slump in a corner of the airship cafeteria. Hakoda grabbed a plate of food and put it in front of Zuko. "You need to eat up.You look like a skeleton."

Zuko glanced at the food and shook his head. He rested his forehead against his knees. He pulled his legs in tighter with his arms wrapped around them.

Hakoda frowns and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Zuko. You need to eat. If you don't I'll get Sokka." 

Zuko scowls and grabs a handful of rice off the plate. He eats it quickly and puts his head back on his knees. Hakoda went to get Sokka anyway. He wanted the boy to be alright and was sure his son could get the boy to eat more.

Sokka looked extremely worried and went to go try and convince Zuko to eat more.

* * *

Katara had been viciously scrubbing the pot for the third time that hour when the airship landed. She stood up and had her water flask open and ready to strike when Sokka and Hakoda stepped out on either side of Zuko. They were holding him up and they smiled at Katara. Zuko had a large bloodstain on his side.

Zuko grumbled and struggled out of their grip. He took two steps and collapsed like a ragdoll. Sokka knelt beside Zuko and started checking his pulse with hurried movements. "Katara! You need to help him!"

She hesitated for a moment before going to Zuko's side. She coated her hands in water and started to heal his wound. If it had been a little bit more to the right it would have hit his liver and he wouldn't have made it.

She hoped this wasn't a mistake.

* * *

Zuko felt his head was stuffed full of cotton. He made himself open his eyes and squinted blearly at Katara. Zuko tried to sit up but Katara gently pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Don't try to sit up. You're too weak from being seriously malnourished. You are probably feeling a little woozy, healing takes a lot out of people." Katara grabbed a bowl full of soup that had been sitting next to her legs. 

"Thank you for helping out my brother and my father. I was wrong about you." She looked at her lap, swirling the spoon in the soup. 

Zuko nodded, his voice was stuck in his throat and he didn't have the energy to struggle to make the words. 

Katara smiles and hands him the bowl of soup for him to eat. He gobbled down only a third of the soup but he felt warm and sleepy. He squirmed to get comfortable before he fell asleep.

* * *

Zuko wakes up with the sun in his eyes and he lets out a jaw cracking yawn. He opens his eyes to see Sokka sitting next to him dozing. Zuko tried to get up but his legs were still too weak to hold him up so he ended up just falling on his ass. 

Sokka startled awake and looked at Zuko. Zuko smiled sheepishly. 

Sokka frowned his face full of concern, "Are you okay? You didn't hurt anything did you?" 

He fussed over Zuko and Zuko starts batting his hands away.

"Stop ittt I can take care of myself damn it." Zuko scowls and huffs. 

Sokka stops and pouts. "You need to be careful you went through a lot of stuff the past month. I'm gonna go get you some food." Sokka stands up and goes to get Zuko food.

Zuko smiled softly and watched him. He relaxed back on the bed. He guessed he could let Sokka take care of him for the time being. It was nice being taken care of by someone else besides Uncle.

Sokka came back with soup and meat. He sat down and started feeding Zuko. Zuko let him because it felt nice. He ate half the bowl and some meat. Sokka put aside the food.

Zuko bit his lip. "Can you stay with me?" 

Sokka grins and sits next to him. "I can. You mind if I nap on the pallet with you?"

Zuko snuggles up to his side. "Nope."

Sokka chuckles and wraps his arms around Zuko. Zuko nuzzles his chest and yawns, feeling himself drift off. He has never felt this safe before.


End file.
